If I Lost it All

2017

“Mostly it is loss which teaches us about the worth of things.” 
― Arthur Schopenhauer

As Human we tend to cast a shadow of meaning on everything we come to interact with, thus eventually building attachment if the object was strong enough to appeal to some memories we are fond of, transforming a mere object into an object of affection.

I found myself going over a question repeatedly in my mind: If I were to lose it all, what will I save?

And then it hit me, I have the luxury to think and ponder on what I will save, what objects I will let go of. But some people don’t have a say on when to let go, they lose it all… and in the process of letting go of some tangible memories, expressive of our identities, some find a way to be rescued.

In this series, I asked eight different people to contemplate upon what they will save if they were to lose it all. And in the process of building this project I found a carrier of a saved object in the form of my mother. With this project I aim to showcase the staggering difference in the process of thoughts between objects that were thought of and an actual saved object in a panic.

We live in a world of fast track consumerism where acquiring and letting go of objects has become the norm. But sometimes elements tend to breach their objective form and develop into sources of memories, emotions, and remembrance… Objects worth of rescue.

“If giving my everything is what it takes, I won’t hesitate, not for even a second. That’s what it means to have something you’d give your life to keep safe.” 
― Kyuugou, ACID TOWN

The camera

 I had to answer my own question, and it was a real struggle picking an element out of the uncountable amount of objects that I own. And then it hit me that I would want to save my cameras, if I were to lose it all I’d want to save the only thing that will help me create my new reality. My memories will always be cherished in my mind, but it would be the time to create new ones.

The laptop

“All my work, sweat, and tears are in the small hard drive of a machine. I would want to save my intellectual property, my overnights, and my creative space.”

The bag

“I carry my Life in my bag, so if I had to rescue anything I would always rescue my life.”

The rosary

“I always carry it around my neck it makes me feel safe. So if I were to lose it all, I would want to believe that by having it with me everything will be alright. My faith got me through a lot of hardships, and I would want to believe that it would get me through in that scenario as well…”

The coin

“This coin is a very special object that is passed around between my best friend and I on every birthday, it comes with a letter detailing our adventures that we had while the coin was with us and it alternates owner each year. It is a mean of communication and it means a lot to me, I would never want to lose it.”

The being

“As a Dancer all I would ever need is my body and my memories, so if I were to lose it all I would want to keep is my sense of being… I would never want to lose myself”

The Scarf

“For the longest while I wouldn’t circulate without this scarf around my neck, I became recognized by the presence of the red scarf… It became my signature, part of my identity. If I were to lose it all I’d save my identity.”

Rescued memories

“When I was young the Lebanese War happened and we had to flee our home because it was on the very line of confrontation. Every time we had to flee we would lay a piece of cloth on the ground and stack our clothes in them, just the bare necessities to keep us warm and covered. But I’d never leave the house without first sneaking my albums into the sheet… All I ever wanted to save were my memories, I wanted to show it to you when you’d grow up… I always wanted to keep a piece of my childhood with me. I had a happy childhood but I was robbed of my youth, I think that’s why I needed to keep a piece of the happy moments around… to make the grim days go away.”

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